A bird’s call

“The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes” (John 3:8).

As I contemplated the bird’s nest in my garden, I began to realise it was not as fragile as I first thought. Sure, individually the feathers, twigs, moss and leaves could be blown away by the wind. But together along with small branches that acted as support, it was actually quite sturdy and secure. There was even one branch towards the back of the nest that formed part of its structure. It was protected from many angles and was just the right weight in the tree. Likewise, we are fragile and vulnerable on our own but we can support each other and find peace in our circumstances and world right now, for example, we can check in regularly with those who are cocooning and feel less lonely and more connected ourselves.

Birds in nests are surrounded by unpredictable winds where there is uncertainty about when the winds will come or how long they will last. This is similar to the Coronavirus situation as we can’t be sure we won’t get the virus or how many more people will be affected by it, and we don’t know when we will return to normal life. But as we accept a large degree of unknown conditions each day while living in our homes, we can also be more open to the gifts that come our way. Personally, I am getting to know my family in a deeper way and I truly feel the need of their company. There is a sense of safety, even when we reach out to each other through online communities, and we know that love will get us through this challenging time.